MISSION

The mission of AAPAC (ASIAN AMERICAN PERFORMERS ACTION COALITION) is to expand the perception of Asian American performers in order to increase their access to and representation on New York City’s stages.

HISTORY

AAPAC was started by a group of Asian American performers who came together in the summer of 2011 after this question was posted on Facebook: “Where are all the Asian actors in mainstream New York theatre?” The flood of comments elicited by this question could not be contained online; it quickly became clear that Asian American performers felt we were largely invisible in the mainstream, and that this was getting worse, not better. We at AAPAC took on the responsibilities of organizing forums for the artistic community to discuss minority representation in New York theater, and of garnering statistics from the 2006-2011 theater seasons to see whether our feelings were validated by numbers.

In the fall of 2011 and early spring of 2012, AAPAC hosted two symposia and one roundtable discussion, examining why the worlds presented on New York City stages do not reflect the racial diversity of the world we live in, and challenging theater-makers to address these imbalances. To read and hear more, click on "Fordham Roundtable".

In July of 2012, AAPAC stretched its intentions outside the New York City borders when La Jolla Playhouse's Page to Stage production of "The Nightingale", based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale taking place in China, hired only 2 Asian Americans for its 12-member cast. After issuing a public statement questioning this action, AAPAC was invited to participate in a panel hosted by La Jolla Playhouse to further discuss the issue, an event covered by several media outlets and attended by over 150 people. To read and hear more, click on "Nightingale Panel".